Retracing Old Steps

On Monday I went to a
Piano Teachers Festival
at the Sydney Conservatorium.
A day of learning,
being filled with new ideas,
And being reminded of old ones.

I studied at the Conservatorium over 20 years ago,
it was good to be back.
Of course the Con has been completely
overhauled since those days,
with a new modern underground wing,
and the concert hall has also been updated.

Monday's learning was largely about technique
- posture, muscle control and whole body awareness.
All things I need to be learning.
Also thinking about children today,
"Generation Z" and how things have
changed since I was learning the piano.
The way students learn has changed.
Food for thought.

One thing that hasn't changed about the Con

in all these years is the setting.

The Con is still surrounded by the Botanical Gardens,

and they haven't changed much at all.

During the lunch break I snuck out

and enjoyed the sunshine in the

Rose Garden for a few minutes

- just lovely.

I've been paying attention to gardens lately,

trying to choose a style for our garden,

and have decided that I really am attracted most

to formal gardens.

So, I came home with my head buzzing,

Full of ideas for both

piano teaching and garden design!

I'm glad I took these photos on my ipod

to jolt my memories of the day.